Gig Workers Rising

New Campaign Campaigns

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  Uber & Lyft: Reverse the Rate Cut

  More and more drivers are living in their cars. Unable to afford housing based off earnings as a driver, or unable to travel the distance home. More and more drivers are spending less time with their families, seeing their children, or taking care of themselves, because they cannot afford to turn their app off. What once was a reliable way to make income has become a cycle of driving as many hours as possible to barely scrape by. As Uber and Lyft prepare to go public this year with IPO offerings, they are doing everything in their power to show the profitability of their business. And they are doing this by taking more and more money from their drivers. Uber just reached a new low - cutting drivers’ mileage rates from $0.99/mile to $0.68/mile. Not only did Uber decrease the overall mileage rate, they changed the way drivers receive surge pricing - which is an incentive pay that drivers rely on to make a living. Prior to the change, surge pricing was based on a multiplier of the total trip (i.e 1.8x surge would earn the driver an additional 80% on the overall trip). The current change in surge pricing places a flat dollar rate such as $2.50, with a note that claims “you may earn even more than this amount on longer rides.” The key wording here is “may.” Driver experience has shown us that while some trips have added additional surge, others have not. Uber’s lack of transparency on how they formulate and determine surge payouts leaves drivers guessing what their fare will be. Gig Workers Rising is taking action against Uber and Lyft’s unyielding greed. Reverse the rate cuts and give drivers a voice! Join us by taking action and signing our petition.

  5,796 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  DoorDash: Publicly Commit to Paying Dashers a Living Wage

  As a dasher, you pay for your own gas, upkeep on your vehicles, and you are not paid for time spent waiting for a pickup. The CEOs of the companies you work for are mega-rich, but you are not afforded basic benefits such as health care or paid time off. And while prices have increased for customers through vague service fees to cover substandard benefits, much of that money will never make it into the hands of workers. Under the new law in California, delivery workers of DoorDash will receive almost half of the IRS rate for mileage, only .30/mile. No matter where you come from, the color of your skin, or the work that you do, a job should help you pay the bills and leave you time with your family. In exchange for your time and effort, you should earn the pay and benefits that provide for a good living and a bright future. Working via an app and setting your own hours shouldn’t mean making pennies and having no safety net if you get sick or injured. It doesn’t have to be this way. A company worth almost $3 billion is able to pay you a living wage - they are just choosing not to. DoorDash drivers deserve better pay. Sign if you agree.

  4,161 of 5,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Gig Workers MUST Be Included In Vaccine Priority List

  Gig workers ARE essential workers. Gig workers are the people who drive passengers for companies like Uber and who deliver food for companies like Doordash and Instacart. They have provided many of us with services we’ve relied on in order to safely shelter in place during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is for this exact reason that many states list gig workers as “essential workers”. As the COVID-19 vaccine is distributed, it is imperative that the Center for Disease Control include gig workers in their Phase 1b recommendation for vaccine distribution for “Frontline essential workers”. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, gig corporations were quick to petition that their workers be classified as essential, while refusing to provide them with personal protective equipment or healthcare. The people who drive for ride hailing companies and deliver our food and groceries safely to our homes, have been forced to spend the last ten months exposing themselves to a deadly virus in order to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Despite this, many state governors have failed to include gig workers in vaccine roll out efforts. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo excluded rideshare drivers and food delivery workers from the next phase of the state’s vaccine rollout. This is unacceptable and dangerous for both workers and consumers alike. The CDC must properly prioritize gig workers as essential workers in vaccine roll out plans across the country. Many gig workers have had no choice but to continue working or return to work during a deadly pandemic because the platform corporations they work for have unilaterally abandoned them. These corporations have refused to pay a dime into state unemployment funds and have actively advocated that their workers be excluded from state unemployment benefits, all while denying them access to crucial benefits like health insurance, paid sick leave and proper protective equipment. The majority of gig workers in the United States are Black or Brown, representing the communities hardest hit by the pandemic while receiving the least amount of protection and support. It is crucial that the CDC’s vaccine plan includes gig workers as essential workers. We demand that the Center for Disease Control include gig workers in their Phase 1b recommendations for vaccine distribution for “Frontline essential workers”.

  3,584 of 4,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Extend Unemployment Payments & Ensure Overpayment Relief for Gig Workers

  More than 7.3 million gig workers, independent contractors, and self-employed workers will see their unemployment benefits cut on December 26 if the government doesn’t act. Millions of people who work for gig companies, such as Uber and Lyft drivers, were directed to apply for unemployment benefits through the federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program when the COVID-19 pandemic began. Only some have been able to access state unemployment benefits. In any event, these benefits were—and continue to be—extremely meager. The average payment given to workers is between $114 and $357 a week—below the poverty line in most states. Now, some people who were directed to apply for PUA are even being notified that they have been overpaid and may be responsible for returning the overpaid amount . This is not only unrealistic, it is inhumane. Many gig workers are behind on rent and struggling to keep food on the table, and do not have extra cash on hand to return to the state. While drivers, couriers, and shoppers are struggling to stay safe and pay their bills, gig corporations have gotten richer and have not paid a dime into state unemployment insurance funds. For example, through misclassifying their workers, Uber and Lyft avoided paying a total of $413 million into California’s unemployment insurance fund between 2014 and 2019. Sign on today and stand with gig workers who are demanding an extension on their benefits and relief for any overpayment.

  670 of 800 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Why we r getting deactivated with out any reason in this COVID 19 that we need money the most

  I have to earn to feed my kids we r four in family I need to work hard but they deactivated my account without any reason or warning or any issue but why I need my account help me with it please

  2 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Hogay Haidary
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  Demand gig economy companies give paid sick time off during coronavirus

  Everyday, I have 20-30 people come into my car - with all their germs. While other workers who are exposed at work have things like paid time off and healthcare, I have no protection. Under recently passed legislation in California, gig companies are supposed to guarantee gig workers access to paid sick days, but the companies have refused to do so. Gig companies, like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash, irresponsibly deny their drivers basic protections like paid sick time off. Anyone can get sick from coronavirus, but because drivers like me don’t have paid sick time, I can’t go to the doctor or take time off without losing precious income. If I don’t work, I can’t afford my rent. My choices are either to continue working while sick, just so I can survive to the next week, or not work and fall behind on bills and rent. Drivers are always forced to choose between these two impossible options because Uber and Lyft shrug responsibility for ensuring everyone's safety. Even in the face of a global pandemic where the best protection we all have collectively is limiting exposure and ensuring access to the medical care we deserve, Uber and Lyft are doing what they have always done: creating unsafe and unfair conditions and leaving drivers with the responsibility and expense to deal with the repercussions. As a driver, my whole job is to keep people safe — to get my passengers from point A to point B safely. Right now, I am doing everything in my power to take safety precautions, like wiping down my car regularly, but it's not enough. All workers need and deserve paid time off and healthcare all of the time, but this pandemic shows that we need it especially right now, when our communities are at risk of infection. If these companies are not held accountable to take action immediately, they are putting drivers and all the riders we transport at risk. It’s a potential public health crisis, and companies like Uber and Lyft have a real and urgent responsibility to protect the health of society at large. - Yash A. Driver and leader with Gig Workers Rising

  1,763 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Uber: Give Drivers Their Fair Share

  My name is Mostafa Maklad and I have been an Uber driver since 2014. I’ve given 8,000 rides, usually driving between 50-60 hours a week — though sometimes it’s 80. The living hourly wage — the amount of money one needs to earn to afford housing, food, medical care and transportation — is about $20 for a single adult in San Francisco; I routinely make half that. Because of this, I joined the international Uber Shut Down on May 8th. Together, drivers made history. Rideshare drivers in six countries across the world organized a global day of action protesting Uber's IPO. In the U.S., over 10 cities joined in including Philadelphia, Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Drivers in every city stood together to call on Uber to pay us a living wage and treat us with dignity and respect. Uber drivers provide services that so many rely on every day to move through their lives — rides to school, work, medical appointments, social events and safe passage back home. As drivers, we pour ourselves into our work, doing one of the most dangerous jobs in our society to ensure that every passenger arrives safely at their destination. But Uber excludes us from basic worker protections. Without these protections, we face low wages and labor abuses. We have no way to organize and Uber denies us crucial benefits like health insurance, disability, overtime or workers comp. We face unsafe working conditions and have no recourse when we're deactivated. Drivers take all the risk, executives get all the reward. But now, we are calling on Uber to give us our fair share: - Living wage: Uber must pay drivers a livable hourly rate (after expenses). - Transparency: Clear policies on wages, tips, fare breakdowns and deactivations. - Benefits: Such as disability, workers comp, retirement, health care, death benefits, and paid time off. - Voice at work: A recognized independent worker organization, the freedom to stand together without fear of retaliation and a fair and transparent process for deactivations. Sign on now to stand with drivers!

  1,511 of 2,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Uber and Lyft: Give Drivers a Voice

  “When Uber deactivated me, I had been driving for them for 2 years. One day, I woke up and couldn’t log in to the app. Uber deactivated me because of a glitch in their system. In my case, the deactivation was Uber’s fault, but drivers get unfairly deactivated every day for all sorts of reasons. Uber kept me out of work for 3 weeks and I fell behind on my car payment. A car payment that I was making to Uber, because I had been leasing a car from them for 18 months. Once my account was reactivated, I worked 12-13 hours a day to catch up on my car payment. It didn’t matter. Uber repossessed my car - taking the thing that I rely on to make a living and something that I was leasing from them. Even though I’ve been reactivated, I live in constant fear that I could be deactivated again for some unknown reason. We shouldn't have to live like this.” -Eleisha R. Every day, Uber and Lyft drivers work under a constant fear of having their accounts deactivated. Deactivation is the equivalent of an immediate firing. Drivers are frequently deactivated with little to no warning, and they are often given no explanation of why they were deactivated, or how they can remedy the situation. The constant threat of termination, in addition to limited opportunity for recourse, means drivers are constantly in a state of fear. Drivers’ stability at work is entirely out of their hands. Instead, their future is decided by the whims of passengers and the companies. It is almost impossible for drivers to advocate for themselves once deactivated, or to fight for reactivation. If you aren't an Uber or Lyft driver, can you imagine working in these conditions? There are numerous things that trigger deactivations including car accidents, background checks, passenger complaints and driver personal safety concerns. Clear policies on why deactivations occur must be developed for each of these issues and more. Drivers need a voice at Uber and Lyft in shaping these policies to better protect both drivers and passengers alike. Drivers deserve a seat at the table. Gig Workers Rising has decided that it is time to take action against Uber and Lyft’s unfair deactivation practices and the devastating impacts they have on drivers. This petition will be delivered in person to Uber and Lyft by drivers. Join us by taking action and signing our petition.

  5,390 of 6,000 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising
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  Drivers Need a Living Wage

  My name is Mostafa Maklad and I am an Uber driver in San Francisco. I've been a driver for 3 years and have given over 8000 rides on Uber. Uber is about to launch their IPO, which will put billions in the pockets of executives. But I can't help but wonder: what will drivers get? Uber and Lyft drivers provide services that so many people rely on every day to move through their lives — rides to school, work, medical appointments, social events and safe passage back home. As drivers, we pour ourselves into our work, doing one of the most dangerous jobs in our society to ensure that every passenger arrives safely at their destination. But Uber denies rideshare drivers like me a living wage by constantly slashing rates and pocketing the difference. Drivers should make a living wage. California has always been a leader in protecting workers and now it is time for California to take the lead again - drivers need a living wage.

  67 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Gig Workers Rising